How do gymnosperms differ from other higher plants?

Gymnosperms – the collective name of a group of seed plants, which includes four unrelated departments: ginkgo, cycad, coniferous and oppressive. These plants differ from spore plants in that they do not have gametophytic and sporophytic life cycles, and instead of spores, they reproduce by seeds. They differ from angiosperms in that they do not have flowers, stamens and pistils, and their seeds do not have a complete protective covering, which in other plants is the fruit.